ALISO VIEJO, Calif. - Cal Poly Pomona has been selected as the favorite in the 2026-27 CCAA Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll, presented by Pollo Campero, following a championship season that took the Broncos all the way to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
 
Cal Poly Pomona collected 190 points and eight first-place votes to narrowly edge defending CCAA Tournament champion Cal State LA. The Golden Eagles received the other six first-place votes and finished just four points behind the Broncos with 186.
 

2026-27 CCAA Women's Basketball Coaches Preseason Poll
School	Points
Cal Poly Pomona (8)	190
Cal State LA (6)	186
Chico State	159
Cal Poly Humboldt	140
Cal State Dominguez Hills	134
Cal State San Bernardino	119
Cal State East Bay	111
Cal State Monterey Bay	97
Cal State San Marcos	88
Menlo	65
Fresno Pacific	64
UC Merced	52
San Francisco State	41
Stanislaus State	24
First-place votes in parentheses

Chico State was selected third with 159 points, followed by Cal Poly Humboldt (140) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (134). Cal State San Bernardino was picked sixth with 119 points, while Cal State East Bay followed with 111.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay (97), Cal State San Marcos (88) and new CCAA member Menlo College (65) occupied spots 8-10. Fellow newcomer Fresno Pacific was just one point behind Menlo with 64, followed by UC Merced (52), San Francisco State (41) and Stanislaus State (24).
 
Cal Poly Pomona returns to the top of the preseason poll after putting together one of the best seasons in recent program history. The Broncos went 20-2 in CCAA play (29-5 overall) to capture the regular-season championship and earn the No. 1 seed in the CCAA Tournament. CPP reached the conference championship game before falling to Cal State LA, but the Broncos' season was far from finished. Cal Poly Pomona earned an at-large berth and the No. 3 seed in the NCAA West Regional, then defeated Azusa Pacific, Western Washington and host Central Washington to claim the West Region championship. The Broncos advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time since 2002. CPP's 29 victories were its most in more than two decades.
 
Cal State LA finished just four points behind the Broncos in the preseason voting after claiming its first CCAA Tournament Championship last March. The Golden Eagles went 18-4 in conference play and 24-7 overall, finishing tied for second in the regular-season standings. They entered the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed and defeated Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal Poly Humboldt before knocking off top-seeded Cal Poly Pomona, 78-62, in the championship game. The tournament title sent Cal State LA back to the NCAA West Regional for the third time in four seasons. Cal State LA entered the postseason riding one of the region's strongest second-half runs, including a program-record 15-game winning streak.
 
Chico State was picked third after recording its third consecutive 20-win season. The Wildcats went 15-7 in CCAA play (20-9 overall) to finish fourth in the standings and advanced to the CCAA Tournament semifinals after defeating Cal State Dominguez Hills, 75-70, in overtime. Chico was also included in the NCAA West Region rankings during the final weeks of the regular season.
 
Cal Poly Humboldt moved from seventh in last year's preseason poll to fourth after one of its strongest seasons in recent years. The Lumberjacks tied Cal State LA for second in the standings with an 18-4 CCAA record and finished 20-9 overall. Humboldt earned a first-round bye in the CCAA Tournament before falling to eventual champion Cal State LA in the semifinals. The Lumberjacks were also ranked in the NCAA West Region late in the season.
 
Cal State Dominguez Hills was voted fifth after going 12-10 in conference play last season. The Toros earned the No. 5 seed in the CCAA Tournament one year after winning the event and pushed Chico State to overtime in the opening round before falling, 75-70. CSUDH finished the season 12-16 overall.
 
Cal State San Bernardino was selected sixth after going 10-12 in CCAA play and 12-15 overall last season. Cal State East Bay followed in seventh after finishing 11-11 in conference play and closing the season with three consecutive victories.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay was voted eighth after earning the final spot in the 2026 CCAA Tournament. The Otters went 11-11 in conference play and 14-14 overall before their season ended in the opening round against eventual champion Cal State LA.
 
Cal State San Marcos was selected ninth with 88 points. Menlo College was picked 10th as the Oaks prepare for their first season in the CCAA. Menlo went 13-14 overall and 11-11 in its final PacWest campaign, finishing seventh in the conference standings. Fresno Pacific followed just one point behind in 11th after going 9-18 overall and 6-16 in PacWest play.
 
Menlo and Fresno Pacific officially joined the CCAA on July 1, 2026, expanding the conference to 14 women's basketball programs. Fresno Pacific is immediately eligible for CCAA and NCAA postseason competition, while Menlo continues through the NCAA Division II membership process.
 
UC Merced was voted 12th as the Bobcats enter their second season competing on a CCAA basketball schedule. San Francisco State and Stanislaus State completed the preseason poll in 13th and 14th, respectively.
 
The 2026-27 women's basketball season gets underway in November, with CCAA play beginning Thursday, Dec. 3. The conference schedule will feature 14 teams for the first time, and the CCAA Tournament will also expand from six to seven teams this season. The 2027 championship will be played March 3-6 at Coussoulis Arena in San Bernardino. The top two seeds will receive byes into the semifinals.
 
All CCAA home contests will once again be available live and on-demand through FloCollege at GoCCAA.org/FloCollege.